McCown was brilliant in replacing injured starter Jay Cutler, to the point that his free agency stock will rise considerably. But McCown, 34, has hinted that there's a chance he'll retire. It's something he and his family have discussed.

"It's a year-to-year thing of how long this is going to be," Macon told the Chicago Sun-Times. "In our minds, when we commit to it, it's for a year. So to be apart like this, it's a tough deal. But it's something everybody (in my family) talks about, including my daughter, my oldest, especially, just sitting with her. 'Is all this OK? Are you cool with this?' So she's been great with it all.

"But for me, I know that there is a time coming where it's going to get harder and harder. I kind of have a thought process in my mind of: I don't know if I want to do this and let her get out of my house having done this the last four years where we live apart. There's not enough money in the world to justify and make it feel OK to miss those games and stuff like that."

It's a crossroad that many professional athletes and coaches come to--whether to pursue their passion and sacrifice family time that can never be recaptured, or sacrifice a sport they love for family's sake.

McCown's stellar play this season could make the decision ever harder. He played so well, it may make it hard for the Bears to justify paying Cutler the salary that he could demand after this season. McCown may not have earned himself a starting job, but reliable backups who are more than capable game-winners are hard to find. He'll have no problem finding a job after this year--if he wants one.

"It's a process," he told the Sun-Times. "It's things that we think about, quite honestly, moving forward in my career in the direction, 'Are we going to keep playing?' All those things, because it's a real question, because those things are hard."